Top 7 Tips on Writing an Effective Nursing Scholarship Essay

A lot of students apply for nursing programs every year, and some of them succeed to receive a scholarship. Thus, the scholarship is a great chance to enter a university without paying tuition fees. Moreover, as it is not a loan, you do not need to give the money back.  Many nursing organizations and institutions provide grants and scholarships. But to get one you need to submit a nursing scholarship essay. There is one important thing to consider: most scholarships are distributed according to academic merit. Financial need is rarely taken into account, so get ready to prove that you are a worthy candidate in your essay. 

The captivating nursing scholarship essay significantly enhances your prospects of success. The core purpose of this type of paper is to show how the institution can benefit from a scholarship given to you. Thus, it is important to reflect on what inspires you to become a nurse and why you fit for this profession more than other candidates. Your particular situation can turn out to be a game-changer if you succeed to present your story speaking from the heart. Your background, experience, academic excellence, and nursing training are also taken into account.

The requirements for nursing scholarship essays may vary. As a rule, it is an academic work consisting of 500-1500 words. Besides, some programs encourage applicants to include photos and other materials. There are different types of nursing scholarships. Some of them cater to American or Canadian students, others are offered to foreign students. So, there are quite many opportunities to receive a scholarship. 

Overall, the nursing scholarship essay is a great chance to demonstrate your skills, individuality, and background. Well, let’s figure out how to start a nursing scholarship essay and make it a success!

What You Should Know About a Nursing Scholarship Essay

The nursing scholarship essay gives you a chance to tell about yourself, your experience, objectives, and why you deserve a scholarship. Thus, you need to provide a reader only with relevant information that reflects your skills, advantages, and what contribution to the field you can make. Besides, this is a good opportunity to share your accomplishments in nursing you are proud of. 

There are some kinds of nursing essays (mainly related to admission) that address your future plans, dreams, and qualities you have to become a good nurse. The nursing essay for a scholarship mostly deals with facts. Thus, it is important to highlight what you have already done to become a professional. If you have volunteering or work experience, employ it to demonstrate a difference it makes between you and other candidates. All your knowledge in the field, your background, training, and skills should serve the purpose of the scholarship essay. 

Even if you do not have any experience, you still have a chance to win the audience with your essay and receive a scholarship. An original approach to writing your paper can turn out to be a winning strategy. The main point is to present yourself in a way others cannot. For example, you can express your passion for the profession, or you have proved to be a good leader and a profound person. If you have any academic achievements, awards, or certificates, make sure to include them in your nursing scholarship essay. There are several models of successful candidates. Maybe you are the one people are looking for. 

What additional experience is relevant for the scholarship essay?

• Any contribution to local communities;
• Academic research and projects in nursing;
• Challenging life experience that impacted you in a good way;
• Any practices, courses, training related to nursing;
• Academic excellence.

However, personal traits and qualities also matter. So, write a paragraph or two about what makes you suitable for your nursing career. There are a great many traits and qualities to highlight: compassion, communication skills, responsibility, motivation, emotional stability, creativity, and etc. 

A winning scholarship essay also requires setting a proper tone. You need to sound serious and confident avoiding exaggerated claims and empty words. Power up your paper with facts and arguments. It is also necessary to avoid humor and too complex sentences.

Effective Tips for Writing a Nursing Scholarship Essay

The most difficult part of writing a nursing scholarship essay is to start it. Experts recommend starting by discussing issues you feel comfortable with. Sometimes to produce a good introduction, you need inspiration. So, take your time and read these guidelines.

1. Work out the outline

Before writing a nursing scholarship essay, it is highly recommended to produce the outline or a draft. Your essay should have a logical structure and reflect a clear flow of thought. Thus, the outline will help to shape it and summarize key arguments. 

The outline consists of three main sections: the introduction, body, and conclusion. In the introduction, you indicate core issues to be discussed in the paper. Besides, it is important to catch the reader’s attention in this section. The body usually includes several paragraphs, each of them is logically related to the previous statement, or points stated in the introduction. In this part, you should employ facts, quotes, and insights to back up your statements. The conclusion should refer to the issues, stated in the introduction as well as to your goals, future plans, and career objectives. 

You do not need to describe each idea in detail at this stage. It is rather a brief summary of things you are going to include in each part of the essay.

2. Check grammar, spelling, and punctuation

The quality of content is the first thing to keep in mind while writing a scholarship essay. But using proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation is also important. The nursing field does not imply paying close attention to such issues. However, it is crucial to avoid any mistakes in your paper as it helps you leave a good impression and sound professional.

3. Follow the scholarship requirements

Your nursing scholarship essay should meet all the necessary criteria and respond to the main purpose. Quite often it is essential to do preliminary research on the organization awarding a scholarship and the scholarship program itself. Institutions usually offer scholarships to advance specific interests. That is why you need to demonstrate that your career objectives match the purposes of the scholarship program. 

Besides, some programs imply that you are admitted to a specific nursing school, or that you work in a particular nursing area after graduation. So, make sure you meet these requirements and reflect this in your essay.

4. Address specified questions comprehensively

As a rule, scholarship programs require to discuss particular questions in the essay. Pay close attention to these issues you should address providing your readers with clear and comprehensive answers. If you fail to do this outright, you will hardly receive a scholarship as this is a basic criterion to select worthy candidates.

5. Look through the winning nursing scholarship essays

This is a good strategy to help you produce an effective scholarship essay. When you study the samples of past scholarship winners you will understand what judges are looking for. Pay attention to the tone of essays, specific details, goals, personal stories, and so on. It is also important to note the way winners’ essays are designed and how they present the information. Try to identify common trends in these essays if possible. These insights will help you write your own essay. However, you should not copy the style of previous winners. You’d better work out your own original approach as it is highly appreciated in scholarship essays.

There are some things you need to note:

• Formatting and structure;
• The way winners conveyed their experience and skills;
• The writing style, tone, and sentence structure;
• Any specific elements to power up your essay.

6. Explain your motivation

Strong motivation is the key to success. Thus, you need to communicate what inspired you to become a nurse thoroughly and precisely. Your passion for the profession is the heart of your nursing scholarship essay. 

What do you need to highlight?

• Which aspects of nursing attract you most;
• What motivated you to become a professional nurse;
• Professional challenges you are willing to overcome;
• The way a scholarship will help you reach your goals as a nurse.

If you are really passionate about the profession there is no problem explaining your motivation. But do not overwhelm your essay with a lot of details and emotional components. A paragraph or two will be quite enough to complete this section.

7. Proofread your essay

Proofreading is an integral part of a successful nursing scholarship essay. So, do not neglect this step. If you want your essay to be perfect all the way through, then you need a fresh set of eyes. Thus, it is recommended to ask a friend or a tutor to check your essay. Besides, you can apply to a professional custom writing service such as Get Nursing Essay. Experts with relevant degrees will provide you with feedback and fix all errors you could miss.

Conclusion

The nursing scholarship essay differs from other kinds of nursing academic papers. To create a winning one, it is essential to confirm your intentions and devotion to the profession with some facts, relevant background, and experience. Many students apply to several scholarship programs. Writing a unique essay for each might be a tough task, but you have to be cautious with recycling your papers. Remember: the requirements for different programs may vary. Some of them offer particular issues to be addressed. So, it is recommended to produce a unique (or carefully recycled) sample for every scholarship program you apply for.